Banana Pickle
Ingredients
Banana stem – 2 cups (chopped)
Ginger – 2 tbsp (minced)
Red chili powder – 1 tbsp
Fenugreek powder – ¼ tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Asafoetida – a pinch
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Sesame oil – ½ cup
lemon juice – 2-3 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Preparation
Peel the outer layers of the banana stem and cut into roundels. Remove any fiber that comes in it.
Cut the roundels into juliennes and then into small pieces. Put the pieces in a bowl filled with water along with 2 tbsp of curd or ¼ tsp of turmeric in it. This will prevent it from browning.Take a wooden stick and keep stirring the water for few minutes so that all the remaining fiber gets entangled to the stick.
Cooking
Heat oil in a kadai and crack the mustard seeds. Add the asafoetida, turmeric powder, curry leaves, minced garlic and ginger. Stir fry for a couple of minutes.
Drain the chopped banana stem and add it to the kadai. Add required salt and cook for 3-4 minutes till all the moisture dries up.
Add the red chili powder and fenugreek powder. Cook for another minute.
Finally add the vinegar and switch off. Adjust the salt, chili powder and vinegar according to your taste.
Let the pickle rest for a day for all the flavors to blend well before serving.
Banana Flower Curry
(banana flower ) – 1 flower.
Bengal gram - 10 grams (soaked for four hours)
Tej patta (bay leaf) – 3 pieces
Onion – 2 pieces (chopped)
Ginger – Garlic paste – 2 tablespoon.
Garam masala – 1 tablespoon.
Turmeric powder – 1 tablespoon.
Red chilli powder – 1 tablespoon
Salt – I tablespoon.
Mustard oil – 6 tablespoon.
Directions:
First open the banana flower and take out the florets . Each floret has a thin transparent wing like feature and a strand, remove it and then chop the florets into small pieces. Add some water and boil the florets for 2-3 mintues. It will take out the bitter taste. Drain the water and keep it aside.
Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a karahi and sauté the boiled florets until they turn light brown. Take them out and keep aside.
Add the rest of oil and fry onion till they turn brown. Add the bengalgram and sauté for a mintues. Add ginger -garlic paste, turmeric paste and red chilli paste and fry till the masala leaves the oil.
Add the fried florets, salt, garam masala and ½ cup of water. let it simmer and cook on low heat till the florets and Bengal gram become tender. Serve hot with rice.
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